The Fall of Avalon
Prologue Inferno, having been teleported from his previous destination, awakens in a field and looks around in surprise.. "..Equis?" - before he can finish his sentence something rushes towards him in a blur, knocking him into the air and sending him crashing down a few feet away. "..Inferno, you came! you came!" Inferno blinks again and urghs "..who? what?" "we start! we start!" the figure rushes forward again, sending him flying into a small home and villagers begin to flee as the sky grows into a storm.. Inferno stands up shakily from the ruins of the home, looking towards the figure - his eyes grow wide as he realises it is a young elf-girl, "..no, you..you're not real- you're.." the girl giggles slightly "here, a message from Kaosa.." she tosses the charred remains of a dragon wing on the ground "..I always bring you presents: why don't you like them?". Inferno just looks at the girl and asks "..why? she was..your mother.." the girl's grin widens, showing sharp fangs "..we know, we know - but the fun is beginning.." Inferno blinks slightly "what fun?" the girl chuckles "..we're going to give you the biggest present ever: the end of everything - then you can be happy.. like us.." Inferno just stares as the scene fades to darkness Chapter I Drasocon, learning the box was, well, a box, looks for Inferno, and starts tracing him, getting closer every minute. as Drasocon tracks Inferno down, a crazed giggling sound echoes within his mind - unnervingly like a child's but tainted with something far older and darker. Drasocon hits a dead end, but not wanting to leave his friend alone, does something he's never done before: teleport into a mind. Upon arriving in Inferno's mind, Drasocon finds a dark, twisted place, filled with giggling. He quickly exits, and appears next to Inferno. "You used to live in a nice place..." Drasocon says as he looks around Avalon, upon which he is on a high mountain. -Inferno blinks and although clearly relieved to have someone arrive he also looks, for the first time in his life, scared..- "..you shouldn't have come here.." he notes - meanwhile the elf-girl chuckles, clapping her hands as she says "oh goody! a friend! tell us! tell us! who is it? do they want to play?". "I am going to help you, no matter what. Hey, little girl, what's your name?" Drasocon looks at the girl, and suddenly, something seems to click into place in Drasocon's mind. -Inferno cringes slightly- "..you called her little.." -he barely has time to finish the sentence before the girl frowns, as she does so the ground trembles slightly underfoot- "we have many names but we are not little, we are big, we are strong.." -Inferno asides to Drasocon- "..don't anger her: trust me on this.. we need to get out here - fast" -his gaze falls on the charred dragon wing still laying on the ground- <<..Kaosa..we need to find Kaosa..>> Acting quick Drasocon used a portal to transport himself and Inferno a small white room, a dimensional hub - allowing the pair a brief respite from the chaos unfolding: "I know that name.. Kaosa.. when the Humids started hunting down the demons they spoke of dragons like her.. only I thought she was bigger.. during the great vengeance they spoke of a dragon that bloated the sun itself..." Drasocon teleports himself and Inferno to a small, square white room. Inferno looks to Drasocon and admits "Draso.. the dragon that came to your world.. it was not of the Twilight Realm.. no dragon can bloat out the sun .." "This one could, though I never heard of the Twilight Realm.. it was the Midnight Dragon.. its blood flows in us Dramon.. you see Inferno.. we made them pay for what they did to us.. but this is getting off-topic : what are we going to do?" Drasocon replies. Inferno stared at Drasocon for a moment, shaking his mane as he quickly returned to the task at hand: "I won't lie to you Drasocon, this is not an easy task and I would think no lesser of you if you backed down: after all this is not your war.. however if you truly wish to help I suggest this, we seek allies and quickly - then we will do the only thing we can do: face Equis and retrieve the Celestial-Blade.. only I'm afraid Equis won't make that easy on us.." "Well, the Dramon Army will help us. And I will not back down. We have to find some others, though, your right." Drasocon starts writing a letter. Journey To Yggdrasil -Inferno nods- "very well, ready the armies and prepare our allies - we must head to Yggdrasil, the world-tree.. Ratasok will have the knowledge we require to transfer safely across the dimensions - I just hope we find him in a good mood.." -he then waits, silently hoping the plan will work- Drasocon finishes writing his letter, then throws it at the wall, where a portal opens. The letter flies through. "Ok, that makes me, you, the Dramons, and DZ. Anyone else we know of?" -Inferno thinks- "I'm sure others will arrive in time, if not I suppose we have no choice.." -he pauses in thought- <<..Kaosa, if you can hear me - I'm sorry: for everything.. if I hadn't opened that stupid Box none of this would of happened..>> -he snaps out of it- "..been a while since I've been to war: hope I still have what it takes". Drasocon-Z teleports in to the room. "Alright! Let's go!" -Inferno nods, "very well.. be ready for anything" - he opens a portal and soon transports the group to a sunny meadow, far from intimidating "..we cross this meadow and then we shall find Yggdrasil.." he notes- -meanwhile in a distant place Equis sits on a throne, the elf-girl by his side "they come, they come.." - Equis sighs- "be quiet Arodnap - I know this.." the girl grins, showing sharp fangs "then we play?" - Equis sighs again, looking into space "..do what you must.."- The Dramons wait for orders from Drasocon and Drasocon-Z. "Dramons, follow me and DZ. Inferno, you lead the way." Drasocon, DZ, and the Dramons wait for Inferno, in case of traps."We can fly, too, don't forget that." -Inferno smiles- "oh I know that, these wings aren't just for decoration you kno.." his sentence is interrupted as the sky suddenly turns red and a vortex opens, unleashing several small dragons, that start to flock like a nightmarish pack of birds. "..oh, great.. Arodnap always had a sick sense of play - think we can handle them?"- All the Dramons, including Drasocon and DZ, smile. "Whoever this Arodnap guy is, he is not very smart, or he doesn't know about Dramons... Inferno, cover your ears.." All of the Dramons let out a high-pitched screech, which reacts with the dragons nearby - causing them to collapse as if asleep : luckily Inferno did indeed cover his ears before he looked around. Inferno proceeded to shake his head after noticing this "..my friend, you must learnt not to presume things.. Arodnap is no man.. she is..a beast.. a creature that can not be measured -" -he watches as the fallen dragons are enveloped in a golden mist and start to revive, more vicious than ever- "..alright, either we run for it or we fight the old-fashioned way - Arodnap is smart but her magic has no power over those who die in honorable combat - you know the type, swords and fists -" *he sighs slightly* "-I did warn you this wasn't going to be easy". "Hmm...I guess Arodnap is kinda smart. Well, we Dramons haven't actually fought dragons in...what, 20,000 years? This will be an honor for these guys...Dramons...ATTACK!" The Dramons lunge at the dragons, killing two of the dragons instantly. They then continue to fight until only one dragon remains, the dragons fighting back and managing to slay several Dramons themselves, although fairly weak in comparision to other dragons in Avalon they are considerably stronger than most seen in the "mainstream" reality. Inferno watches this with a mix of sadness and grim determination- "..I'm part dragon myself: Arodnap will pay for what she has done to us..her own people". "That is what Humids did to our demon ancestors on Drastar, guided by dragons, though we made them pay.." Drasocon replies as he finally kills the last dragon. ".. you'd never guess we had Midnight blood in us, would you? vengeance is a funny thing.." -not far off, a black horse appears, it's rider sickly and pale.- "This....is not where I am supposed to be." -the rider says. The black horse gallops off.- -Inferno tilts his head in the manner a man does when he sees something he knows is real yet can't quite bring himself to admit it, even to himself- "..sometimes I swear Fate is punishing me with these continual visions.." "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I'm insane, too." Drasocon makes a hand signal and the Dramons and DZ take flight, then surround Inferno and Drasocon, waiting for them to move. -Inferno shakes his head and makes his way over the fields and into the woods, the trees are impossibly large here: like something out of a fairytale and it would be easy to get lost amidst the thick undergrowth- "..be careful not to damage the trees, they get mad easily.." he notes- Drasocon makes a quick sequence of hand signals, and the Dramons fall into a single file line and start walking in after Drasocon and Inferno. -Suddenly, the black horse seen earlier rides up to Inferno and Drasocon.- "Is this land called Tregon?" He asks in a raspy, yet powerful voice. -Inferno looks to Drasocon and the others, his eyes say it all >- -he then turns to the rider- "no stranger, this is Midgard: sister-realm of the great Avalon dynasty.. now explain to me why we should not slay you on the spot for this intrusion?" Drasocon grins at the rider."You seem a little lost.." is all he gets out before he and the other Dramons burst out laughing. "You cannot slay me." -instantly, all of Drasocon's dramons begin to feel intense pain from hunger; immobilizing, blinding pain.- "I am famine, the third of the four horsemen." "...Dramons, emegency sequence A11O7HYUS." Drasocon snaps, summoning the strength to open a portal and send his men to safety, enduring the pain as he stands and faces Famine, growling a little as he tries to keep his defiance. "..O..okay, fancy trick..." -feeling Famine's effects fade after a few moments "..oh, you might want to know that Pestilence doesn't like you very much..." -Inferno sighs- "he's Famine, nobody likes him!" -he then watches the skies, knowing something is watching and waiting to strike- -Famine sees Inferno watching the sky- "What is it you are searching for?" -Inferno glances at Famine- "..they watch you know, just as they have watched every battle in history.. angels to some, demons to others.. they watch but never act: that's how it has always been.. until now.." -he looks back up at the sky- "..you ask what I'm searching for? a monster perhaps, but she is all I have left.." <<..forgive me Kaosa>> "Ah...they watch, hm? Much like our god. I must really be on my way...Midgard is really not where I must be." -Inferno thinks on this- <<..I suppose this war affects us all now.>>.- -he looks to Famine and states- "I'm afraid I can't allow you to leave: Drasocon - apprehend this rider.." -he smiles darkly- "..I'm sure you can retrieve some information from him". Drasocon slaps Famine across the face and grab him, growling "let's play good cop, bad cop. If you don't talk, we will have to get rough". -Inferno face-palms- <<..the things we do to keep power..>> -he allows the Dramon to have his fun though, in truth he is still trying to focus on what Arodnap was plotting: things had been too quiet and he knew it couldn't last..- After waiting a few moment Drasocon growls again and slaps Famine once more across the face "TALK!" The air around Drasocon ripples and Famine stands above him- Drasocon snaps out of his trance. Famine holds out his palm- a scale materializes out of thin air, floating over his palm. -as this occurs Inferno finds himself wandering off to a secluded part of the forest, his mind almost blank as a voice whispers out to him through the tree-branches <> As Famine and Drasocon face off, Drasocon-Z tackles Famine from behind. -Inferno walks towards the voice and looks up- "..?" -suddenly something swoops down and snatches Inferno into the tree-tops with lightning speed- "come! come! we have much to talk about!". Famine holds out the scale and tips it, creating a surge of imbalance that pulses around them- the imbalance disorients Drasocon and Drasocon-Z, who suddenly see an army of Famines surrounding them- -As Famine, Drasocon and Drasocon-Z feud a sudden interruption occurs- <> -a voice rings out, spreading across the land - the trees sway as an unnatural wind begins to pick up and the skies begin to cloud into storm- "Umm... does this worry you, Famine?" Drasocon-Z nervously looks around. Meanwhile, Drasocon runs up, pulls out his sword, and starts randomly slicing at Famine-clones. "No time to worry, DZ, come on!" "Later..." thinks Famine to himself. "The Supreme God may have some use for them...but I cannot be here now. I must be at Tregon." -Famine turns to leave Drasocon and Drasocon-Z fighting illusions of himself, but stops upon noticing the anomalies in the weather.- -the storm clouds gather into a vortex as a young elf-girl descends from the sky, cackling madly- "peek-a-boo I see you!" -Drasocon may very well remember this girl as none other than Arodnap- -Famine sees the girl, and senses her power- "The Supreme God should know about this..." thinks Famine to himself. -Arodnap hovers in place and makes a face at Famine- "eew! icky!" -she scans the area- "where's Ratatosk and Inferno? I wanna give them a present.." -she sighs, looking sad for a few moments then perks her ears up and grins wildly, looking back at the group- "..hey! never mind! you guys want a present? it's real nice!" "What are you, girl?" asks Famine. "You are not as little as you seem...I can feel your power." -Arodnap grins wide, revealing rows of sharp fangs- "..it's a surprise!" -she giggles- "What is this...present you speak of? What do you want with Inferno?" -Arodnap's smile fades- "I'm going to destroy all, I'm going to watch it burn.. as for Inferno, I want to kill him - I want to kill everyone.. everything.. I want.. to play" -her eyes glow and suddenly the ground shakes as something starts to emerge from below- "Impressive, girl." says Famine. "But you seem to have a special interest in Inferno. I'm curious- why do you want to kill him specifically?" -Arodnap looks to Famine- "cause it's fun" -she grins again, the ground breaking apart to reveal none other than Equis- "What a surprise." said Famine. "Fun, eh? Very well. I shall leave you to have your fun. After all, Avalon is not any of my buisiness." -Arodnap waves to Famine- "okay I love you bye bye!" -she grins madly- "okay Mr Equis - we kill everyone in this reality the we keep going until we find Inferno then we kill him dead!" -Equis simply nods- "..then what?" he enquires- -Arodnap laughs- "then we kill more! forever and ever, until there are no realities left! none, not one little piece!" -thunder fills the air as a storm breaks out- -The tiny spirit that had encountered Inferno earlier watches this scene unfold, unseen by anybody. "Something...is calling me here." he thinks to himself. "But what is it? If only I can remember..."- -Arodnap giggles as he floats back into the sky- "okay Mr Equis - kill every little piece of life in this world.. then do the same over and over - remember, everyone is bad.. they want to hurt you.. I'm your friend..I'm your only friend.." -another giggle fills the air as she vanishes- -Equis looks round- "..it is time" -he pulls out his Celestial-Blade and begins cutting down the forest- "Oh schnizzle..." Drasocon looks around for Inferno, knowing that the little girl will just revive Equis if he kills him. "Equis?" thinks the spirit. "That name...I've certainly heard it before..." Ragnarok -as Equis cuts down another tree Inferno suddenly falls to the ground alongside another figure, which resembles a humanoid squirrel- "Equis? have you gone mad?!" the squirrel notes - standing up and heading straight for Equis while Inferno just watches in horror- "look at me when I talk to you Equis! what is the meaning of this intrusion?! speak!". -Equis turns to face the squirrel and impales him with the Celestial-Blade before he looks to Inferno- "..brother" Drasocon flies overhead, and circles, not sure of what to do. -Inferno looks to Equis and stands up, walking over with a grim expression- "..hello brother, it's been a long time" - "not long enough" Equis responds - "..I want to say something to you Equis, all these years of wishing to get back at you.. to watch Avalon fall.. I just want you to know.. I didn't want it to end like this" Inferno says, looking to the fallen squirrel. -Equis simply snorts- "Ratatosk was a good friend, you see now what you have done? what you have always done? your a monster - you kill everything that befriends you.. and now I shall end your existence before you can do any more damage.." -Inferno looks to Equis for a moment in silence then simply asks "what did I do wrong?" -Equis stares back for a moment, his eyes flashing gold- "you were born.." Drasocon continues circling above... -Inferno looks to Draso and smiles, then looks to Equis - his smile fading- "know this brother, if you do this you will be stopped.. by people stronger than you can imagine - people who don't give in to their hate.. people who have achieved something we could never achieve.. peace.." -he then holds his hand out- "..please Equis, no more killing.." -Equis looks to Inferno without emotion and stabs him with the Celestial-Blade, causing the prince to fall to the ground- "..my hate dies with you" -he replies- -With a burst of green flame off in the distance that illuminates the dark sky, Death (Arbiter) appears, on his gaunt horse.- "Where is Famine?" -Death thinks to himself. He begins to ride through the forest, in Equis's direction.- The blade strikes Inferno in the heart and he fell to the ground without another word, Equis turns and looks over the scene- "..demons, heathens and cowards - one and all.. let this be known: the age of the Watchers is now and all shall perish.. expect the pure, the holy, the righteous" "Sounds like someone I once was." says Death, finally arriving on the scene. "And maybe I still am." -Equis laughs at he looks to Death- "ah Arbiter, Arodnap told me of you.. how you tried to stop my brother from destroying his realm.. how you and some "hero" actually thought you could help such a wretched excuse for a being.. I see you've changed over time: good.. because Arodnap has changed me too, she had made me stronger than I ever was before.." -he grins demonically despite his angelic appearance- "Sooooo... why do you hate Inferno's guts?" -Equis just chuckles- "hate, love.. what's the difference? all these things I shall destroy.." -his voice changes, sounding like a child's- "..but before I do I'm going to do something I should of done a long time ago.." -his eyes flash gold- "Well there is obviously a difference, they are completely opposite. But what is your reason? Are you a mere puppet of Arodnap, who follows her bidding? Or is there something more?" -Equis laughs, high-pitched and unnatural - the feathering in his wings beginning to come off as his pelt darkens and his hair, once gold, now starts to blacken- "what once was good, now is wrong, what once was holy now is sin.." -he looks to the largest tree in the forest- "..all that's left is to burn the World-Tree and then Arodnap's revenge shall be complete.. as will my own.." "Interesting. I will watch." Drasocon looks down in horror at the unfolding scene, now utterly confused about what to do. -suddenly the sky seems to open up into a fiery blaze as Kaosa emerges- "..where is the one who slew my son?" -she growls, the brood-queen of the Twilight dragon-flight is much bigger than she was the last time Arbiter saw her, now at least 100ft in length, though one of her wings seems to be removed as if in a great battle- -Death makes a note of this new arrival and watches with interest- -Equis turns as if to speak when another figure appears in the sky, a dragon even larger than Kaosa with scales of pure black and eyes that burn bright blue- "so mother, you're alive.." -the dragon looks to Draso and to Arbiter- "..as are the insects, really Equis - you're so slow.. at least you killed Inferno.. and that annoying Ratatosk, what was it you people called him? protector of the World-Tree? ha! a rat defending insects.. how fitting.." -the dragon grins wickedly at Kaosa- "..what's the matter? aren't you going to say hello to your own daughter?" Then Drasocon realizes where he has seen the Celestial Blade before, and smiles. "Equis! I challenge you to a duel!" "This will be quite entertaining." Death waits to see if Arodnap poses a threat to him. -Arodnap swipes at Drasocon with her tail- "..pathetic.." -she then looks to Arbiter- "..you are no better: you think your Supreme God can defeat us? ha! we've watched for long enough to know you'll fail.." -Kaosa flies at Arodnap- "stop this!" -Arodnap strikes Kaosa down, sending the dragon crashing to the ground below- "..why? so you can abandon me in favor of a wretched mortal again? so you can banish me for speaking the truth? I've outgrown you Kaosa.. I've outgrown everything in this universe.. and now they come, they come.." Drasocon swoops down, landing in front of Equis. But instead of pulling out his familiar black sword, he pulls out a glowing steel sword with red runes glowing on the blade. "Just as I thought..." -suddenly a massive earthquake shakes across the land, even Equis stumbles and a few trees fall as the sky virtually rips open - Inferno gasps as he jolts to life: his eyes wide "Everyone... RUN!!: he can barely finish his sentence before a gigantic figure slowly emerges in the sky, clouded in darkness and definitely beyond the scales of fighting alone- "Equis. Give. Me. The. Celestial. Blade. Now. I have an idea." Drasocon holds out his hand. -Equis doesn't listen, instead he looks at the sky, his pelt turning back to white as he speaks- "..by the Light.. it can't be.. it's impossible.. why Arodnap? ..why?" -he drops his blade and falls to his knees, only for Inferno to put a wing over his shoulder almost protectively- "..it's alright brother, we'll survive.. somehow.." "Our Supreme God has nothing to do with you...as far as I know." says Death. -Suddenly, the small spirit who has been watching this entire scene unfold gets an idea, and enters Death's mind. Death's eyes lose their green hue, reverting back to the golden color of Arbiter's eyes. Arbiter looks around, confused.- "What is this...these memories...I remember...I am the Arbiter!" The Watcher DZ, who has snuck away, almost chokes on the fruit he is eating when he sees the huge figure looming nearby. "Drasatercon protect me..." -a voice comes to DZ, very faint - it is Ratatosk's spirit speaking out one last time in defence of the world-tree- <> -suddenly the gigantic figure comes into view, resembling a monstrous humanoid with blue skin and flowing robes in the style of a Roman god- "Who has summoned the Watchers? speak and your wish shall be ours to grant.." -the being's voice is like thunder and Kaosa grunts as she looks to the others- "..do something!" she growls - Inferno and Equis just stare at the figure and seem frozen before Inferno snaps out of it.. "Draso, Equis... Arbiter.. we.. we can't stop that thing.. but we can stop *her*!" -he points at Arodnap- Drasocon snaps his sword around, slicing at Arodnap. -Arodnap laughs, a shield forming round herself like lightning as she grins widely- "I summoned you, great Watcher.. and now it is time to make my wish.." -Inferno and Equis fly upwards and start to attack Arodnap as well but the shield seems to be making her almost invulnerable, Kaosa slowly rises to her feet as she spread her one functional wing - narrowing her eyes- "..I was the firstborn of the Twilight Dragonflight, I was beauty and grace - yet I was tossed aside in favor of another.. so here is my wish Watcher.. I wish to be everything they ever hated, everything they ever feared, if I can't be a perfect daughter then let me be the perfect demon.." -her eyes flash red- Arbiter floats up toward Arodnap, and phases, moving slowly through her shield as if it were water. -even as Arbiter does this the shield breaks and a loud voice echoes ominously- "..granted" -then the gigantic figure of the Watcher ascends back into the depths of space, as for Arodnap.. her eyes grow wide and her form seems to crumble away into dust.. Inferno and Equis continue to fight regardless- "w-what's happening..?"Equis asks. -Arbiter searches telekinetically for any sign of Arodnap- -Inferno and Equis both stare blankly as Kaosa joins Arbiter in the telekinetic-scan, yet it seem as if Arodnap has gone.. then it happens.. a low rumbling.. the skies darken once more..- "..Maker help us.." Equis shivers as Kaosa turns to Arbiter and yells "she's done it! she's become the Great Beast!" -the rumbling continues- "..Inferno.. I need you to know.. what I did.. I.." Equis began, only for Inferno to place a hand on his shoulder and nod: "it's alright brother: I understand now.. we weren't enemies.. Avalon was my home as much as it was yours but we were torn apart, destroyed by something darker than we could comprehend.." -Kaosa growls- "..Arodnap" -Inferno turns to Kaosa- "no.. you.. you did this.. and I see that now..". -Kaosa looks to Inferno- "..what do you mean?" -Inferno just looks to her and notes- "Arodnap, she was your daughter.. you told me you had to banish her because she was mad but I see the truth.." -Kaosa growls slightly- "..you banished her because you wanted me instead, you sacrificed your own daughter so you could manipulate me: so you could turn me into a monster!" Inferno snarls, suddenly Kaosa slashs him with her claws "SILENCE!"- -Before anything else can happen however the rumbling stops and a voice rings out from the darkness- "mother shall not spare daughter, brother shall slay brother.. love turns to hate.. then and only then shall you understand... their is nothing left to fight for.. life.. dreams.. they are gone now.. now is the time of our discontent.." -a monstrous figure appears as the voice stops, it is Arodnap but barely recognisable now, four wings (one angelic, one draconic, one skeletal and one metallic) adorn her back and the rest of her form is equally monstrous- hidden behind a screen of fog, watches the scene in horror. But then, he realizes that he CAN help, if only for a while... -Arbiter stares at this new enemy, waiting for Arodnap's next move- -Inferno stands, clutching his wounded chest and looks to Arodnap- "please.. it doesn't have to end this way.. don't you realise Kaosa played you as much as she did all of us? Arodnap listen to me.. I'm sorry.. I want to help you - to end this.." -he starts to stumble towards Arodnap as Equis watches, unsure what to do.. -Arodnap stares at Inferno and laughs- "..I'm beyond you Inferno.. I'm beyond all of you.. I'm not here for vengeance: I'm here to destroy.. tell you what though? if you really want to help here's what you can do-" -she fires out a beam of red energy and Inferno falls to the ground in pain- "-you can be the first to die, billions will follow.." she cackles. -Arbiter looks over to Inferno, and telekinetically heals his wound- "If we are going to survive this, we need all of our strength." "RAAAAAAGH!!!" scream come from the mist, and a flash of golden light follows... -Arodnap grins widely- "listen to your false-friends Inferno.. though they'll betray you in the end - for now however.. we dance.." -she rises into the air, spreading her wings and the clouds form into a vortex as Kaosa looks to Arbiter <<..this isn't my fault..>> she speaks telepathically- The Great Beast -Arodnap hovers in the sky and spreads her wings, the vortex raging in the sky around her as reality begins to slowly unravel- "why resist? you know I'm right.. life - dreams.. they are meaningless.. I shall reveal to you all the one truth in the universe: oblivion.." <"I understand"> Arbiter responds to Kaosa telekinetically. Arbiter turns to Arodnap, and begins to form his plan. -Inferno shakily gets to his feet as Equis helps him up, the two look up and the ground begins to shake as Arodnap begins to perform a reality-warp, her attempt to slowly but surely merge all of reality into a singularity- "..my god.. Arbiter we need to stop her: NOW" Inferno growls. Suddenly, a blast of blue light comes from the dense fog, hitting Arodnap in the underbelly. Quickly following, a Drasocon-looking Dramon, with muscles and a large sword, flies out of the mist, slicing and stabbing, battering and bruising Arodnap. -Arodnap's concentration is broken for a few moments, causing bolts of lightning to erupt from the sky as the realiy-warp is disrupted, she snarls at the intruder and slashes him with her tail before spewing forth a tide of black smoke that is akin to thick smog that chokes the senses: Inferno, Equis and even Kaosa start to fall back as this evil smog fills the area- Dramon is knocked to the ground, the smog clogging his senses, coughing, and piucks himself up. He roars, and starts slicing at Arodnap with his large sword. -Arodnap rises further into the air, swatting the Dramon a good few feet with another bat of her tail as she spreads her wings again, the vortex crackling- "..well? what are you waiting for? come.. *all* of you!" she grins- -Inferno, Equis and Kaosa rush at Arodnap and begin to attack her in a flurry of attacks that set the scene ablaze in what can only be described as a frantic battle for survival- Arbiter rearranges the network of energy that fabricates the universe into a pattern that suits him, allowing him to channel his powers more effectively. He concentrates all of his psychic energy into launching a devestating telekinetic attack on Arodnap meant to restore balance to the space-time fabric. -Arodnap growls slightly as the skies slowly begin to clear- "..how..dare..you..all..of..you..I will destroy!" -she flaps her wings and unleashes a wave of energy that sends everyone who is airborn crashing down hard, then she takes a moment to get her senses back - bruised from the continual assaults and starts charging herself with energy again- Dramon, who had been knocked to the ground, roars again, and launches himself at Arodnap, punching and kicking, slicing and stabbing.<>Thinks Drasocon from inside his Frenzy-form. Arbiter pulls himself slowly out of the small crater created by his impact into the ground. "Damn, that hurt." he mutters, as he regains his balance. -Inferno gets to his feet and readies himself to charge at Arodnap again when he hears Equis- "..Inferno stop-" -he turns to face his brother- "..take this.." -he holds out the Celestial-Blade and Inferno blinks slightly- "..I.. can't.. I'm not a king, not anymore.." -Equis smiles faintly as he says- "no.. but you're still a Pendragon". -Arodnap growls and spreads her wings again as she sparks with energy, causing Drasocon to be hit with bolts of lightning every time he strikes at her form- "..I was going to show you the wonder of being sucked into a singularity - to be stretched into infinity.. but nooooo - you guys had to be all ungrateful and mess it up.. fine! I'll just settle for a good old supernovae explosion - sure I'll die but hey, who knows, maybe I'll live on as the start of a new universe - one free of interferrring little twerps and fake-gods.." -she snaps as she sparks dangerously- Arbiter holds out his hand, and his thirteen-foot long blade materializes- a blade imbibed with chaos and order, forged with pitch black and glowing white metal. -Equis holds the Celestial-Blade out- "go Inferno.. your friends need you.." -Inferno reaches over and takes the blade, for years he plotted and schemed - waiting for this moment but it felt far from a victory- "come with me brother.." Inferno notes, Equis sighs and smiles faintly "..you know I can't" -Inferno tilts his head then nods- "goodbye, brother" -he takes flight with the blade- "Draso, Arbiter.. aim for the wings.. this ends now.."- ignores the lightning entirely, and holds out his hands in front of him..."Drace..."small golden ball appears in Drasocon's hands..."Komento..."ball grows in size, to about the size of a large boulder..."MAKROS!"huge golden beam fires from between Drasocon's arms, hitting Arodnap's angelic wing."You didn't deserve that wing..." Arbiter runs past Drasocon and charges at Arodnap in a blur of motion, sword poised, ready to strike. -Arodnap snarls and starts to fall from the sky as the attacks take their toll - Inferno flies towards her and readies a strike at her heart with the Celestial-Blade- "..goodbye my friends" -he whispers- "Inferno? What are you doing?"picks himself up, the use of energy taking it's toll, but he leaps after Inferno, determined to help his friend. Arbiter, noticing Inferno's move, holds out his own sword and transfers the power of balance to the Celestial Blade, increasing it's already god-like strength. -Inferno smiles at Arbiter then drives the empowered Celestial-Blade in Arodnap, piercing her heart: however in the process a massive surge of energy flashes through his form as Arodnap's dying rage erupts like an electrical-strorm: Kaosa flies after Drasocon and knocks him aside "..leave him, he made his choice.." she says. -Arodnap lets out a final snarl as she falls from the sky in a blaze of energy, Inferno falls down to the ground after her and the sky starts to return to a more normal state, though the disturbance has caused a rainstorm to brew over the area- "Inferno? Are you okay?" -Arodnap disperses as she hits the ground in a fine mist that is scattered across the land, when it fades Inferno simply lays on the ground - the Celestial-Blade dropping to the ground as it shatters, exhausting the last of its energies- Arbiter flies over to Inferno, and attempts to telekinetically heal him. After a time, Arbiter stops, as Kaosa, Drasocon, and Equis catch up. "I've healed him the best I could, but I know not if it is enough...only time will tell." Arbiter then looks over at the shattered remains of the Celestial Blade. "Very interesting...and very fitting." "I will try to help him as best I can." blows a small, fine, glittery powder onto Inferno. A large, snaking dragon tatoo appears on his arm.. "That's not quite what I meant...I've healed his body to the best of it's extent, not my own extent. It interests me though, how the Celestial Bade itself shattered." -Kaosa snarls and suddenly hits both Drasocon and Arbiter aside as she snaps- "leave him!" -she then looks to Inferno and states- "he has fulfiled his duty.. as have I.." -her voice fades slightly near the end as sadness fills her eyes- "I am not healing him. I am making him a Dramon-friend. It is done. If he survives, he will be immune to fire, able to breathe fire, and speak Dramonican. It is my gift to him, and he deserves it." -Kaosa growls as she picks Inferno up and looks to Drasocon with contempt, then looks over at the others- "..does he? I think this is a more fitting reward: peace.. never again can you harm him.. I.. I was good, I did my duty: I helped him find peace.. I did good.." -she says, as she spreads her wings- "..bah, what does it matter either way.." -she growls- Arbiter recites Arodnap's words. "Mother shall not spare daughter, brother shall slay brother.. love turns to hate." He pauses. "It all boils down to family...to hatred, and contempt...rejection..." Arbiter looks down at the ground, troubled. "This kind of rejection has led many astray." -Kaosa takes flight with Inferno- "a mother sacrifices many things to protect her young.. I lost a daughter and a son but it was necessary for the survival of my other children - you should understand.." -then she vanishes in a flash of light- Arbiter looks over at Equis, then back to the shattered Celestial Blade. Holding out his hand, Arbiter telekinetically levitates the peices and hovers them in front of him. "Incredible. Completely drained of power. It took that much power to destroy Arodnap." Arbiter turns to Equis and offers him the peices. "But is Arodnap truly destroyed? She was more than just a cataclysmic demon. She was a symbol- an icon of the rejection that corrupts the soul, twisted into hatred for all things. As long as that lives on in the hearts of the living, so will she. I can feel it." -Equis looks to Arbiter, his eyes sad - yet they slowly narrow as he holds his hand out and takes the broken Blade- "..you speak wisdom Arbiter but I am not convinced, no.. today we have bore witness to a terrible tragedy - the monster responsible for taking my brother will suffer.." -he turns and makes to leave, spreading his wings- "..vengeance shall be mine" -his eyes flash momentarily red before he takes flight, vanishing into the horizon- "It is not over..." says Arbiter. "This story has just begun." his body begins to burn with green flame once more. -As the area returns to a sense of normality a faint wind blows and for the briefest of moments it's like a faint giggle can be heard.. then it goes silent- Category:Book I Category:Inferno-Pendragon Category:Fantasy Category:Finished Stories